MODULE TITLE : SAFETY ENGINEERING

TOPIC TITLE : AN INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY ENGINEERING

LESSON 3 : INDUSTRIAL SAFETY TERMINOLOGY

SE - 1 - 3

Teesside University 2011

 Published by Teesside University Open Learning (Engineering)
School of Science & Engineering
Teesside University
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INTRODUCTION
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There are a number of terms which are in common use in safety engineering and
which you will meet in this lesson. In everyday language many of these terms
are virtually synonymous (have the same meaning), but in the world of safety
engineering they have quite specific meanings. It is important that you are
familiar with these terms and understand their meanings when you meet them.

Try to memorize as many of these words as possible at this stage. To help you
to do this, there are some Self-Assessment Questions included in the body of
the lesson.

In the second part of this lesson we shall be examining one of these terms
"risk" in more detail.

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YOUR AIMS
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At the end of this lesson you should be able to:

explain the meaning of some of the common terms used in industrial

safety engineering

understand how the term 'risk' is applied within an engineering

system.

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STUDY ADVICE
________________________________________________________________________________________

We strongly recommend that you memorise as many as possible of the terms in

the first part of the lesson. To help you to do this, spend as much time as
possible on the first set of Self-Assessment Questions.

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________________________________________________________________________________________

A GLOSSARY OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY TERMINOLOGY IN COMMON AND

RECOMMENDED USAGE
________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: Terms in italics are defined more fully elsewhere in this glossary.

HAZARD AND RISK

Hazard A state or condition having the potential

to cause a deviation from uniform or
intended behaviour which, in turn, may
result in damage to property, people or
the environment. For example, a
chemical process can realize its potential
through, for instance, fire or explosion
(catastrophically) or by corrosion
(insidiously).
It is neither desirable nor usually
practicable to confidently rank or
measure a hazard in terms of size or
severity.

Risk The time-related, or location-related

likelihood of a hazard actually resulting
in an undesired event. Risks can be
quantitatively expressed in terms of
probability or frequency. (We will be
examining these terms more fully later in
this lesson.)

Risk Assessment This includes value judgements

concerning the significance of the risk
measurement results.

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Social Risk The risk to a group of people exposed to

a major hazard. This is usually
quantified on a F - N curve (see earlier
lesson). Societal risk can be more
accurately defined geographically if such
factors as distance, blast effects, gas
concentration and wind characteristics
are known or predictable.

Residual Risk The element of risk remaining after all

economically acceptable improvements
have been made.

CONSEQUENCES

Explosion A mechanically, or chemically, generated

rapid release of energy, which in turn
generates a blast (or shockwave)
capable of causing considerable damage
due to the velocity of pressure pulses
transmitted from the explosion.
(Particular types of explosion will be
identified later in the course.)

Explosion Pressure A term used to quantify the effects of an

explosion the pressure developed
above atmospheric pressure at a specific
receptor, e.g. a brick wall or a storage
tank.

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Overpressure This term is applied to the additional

internal pressure inadvertently arising
within equipment in excess of its design
pressure.

Fire A combustion process which generates

heat, smoke or flame, or any
combination of these.

Upper and Lower The concentrations of a flammable

Flammability Limits substance in air or oxygen above or
below which, respectively, combustion
will not be sustained.

Fire Prevention Measures adopted to prevent an outbreak

or escalation of fire in a particular
location.

Fire Protection Design features, systems or equipment

(e.g. a sprinkler installation) which
minimise damage from fire in a
particular location.

Toxicity The ability of a toxic (poisonous)

substance, when absorbed by living
tissue (either ingested or via the skin), to
cause injury or destroy life.

Carcinogen A substance capable of causing cancer.

Asphyxiation Danger to, or termination of, life due to a

deficiency of oxygen.

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Threshold and There are numerous categories of these,

Exposure Limits each specific to a time-related human
exposure to toxic substances. They are
used to regulate the proximity of workers
to materials of known toxic effects.

RELEASE AND DISPERSION

Release The unintentional escape of a hazardous

substance or of energy (e.g. heat and/or
pressure) from a containment system,
usually due to equipment breakdown or a
control logic failure. There are various
types of release, including:

instantaneous release (i.e. of a

finite quantity of material)

continuous release (i.e. over a

prolonged period)

jet release

pinhole release.

Pool Evaporation Pool evaporation of a spilled volatile

liquid is a calculable phenomenon.

Burning Rate The burning rate of a flammable vapour

is also calculable.

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Flashing Flow The behaviour, upon release, of a

superheated liquid, part of which
"flashes off" thereby creating a two-
phase flow of liquid and vapour/gas.

Flash Fraction The portion of a superheated liquid that

will vaporize upon release to the
atmosphere.

Dispersion The mode of integration and dilution,

usually in the environment, when a
hazardous fluid is discharged.

Gas Cloud A generic term which is self-explanatory,

but which usually needs more precise
definition according to whether the
released material is of higher or lower
density than the surrounding air (i.e.
"dense" or "buoyant").

Plume A gas cloud resulting from a continuous

release.

Weather Category An index system denoting the extent of

air turbulence and thermal stability. It is
an influencing factor in the safe dispersal
of flammable or toxic discharges.

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ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES AND CRITERIA

Loss Prevention A systematic, often rigorous, procedure

aimed at the prevention of incidents, or
the estimation and minimising of their
consequences. All objectives and some
of the most useful techniques are
covered in this course.

Hazard Analysis A term which should be confined to the

further and quantitative assessment of
hazards which have already been
identified and warrant examination of
size, frequency and consequences. This
approach is consistent with the accepted
philosophy that if a specific potential
hazard cannot be eradicated (e.g. by
designing-out), then it is necessary to
assess the level of risk likely to result.

Site Safety Assessment The incisive appraisal of all facets of

equipment integrity and safe working
behaviour within a total work area (e.g.
a complete factory). This includes
management response to the maintenance
of acceptable safety standards. It is
invariably conducted at long intervals by
a competent, independent outside body or
consultant.

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Safety Audit A critical review, at (typically) annual

intervals, of a selected part of a total
operating facility (e.g. a plant unit,
internal emergency team, fail-safe
control functions). It is usually
conducted internally.

Checklist A relatively frequent, simple and rapid

endorsement of the satisfactory (but
usually visual) condition of plant items
and safety equipment.

Safety or Hazard These are terms of wide interpretation,

Review/Survey sometimes implying site assessment
standards but more often confined to a
search for potential hazards.

Safety Case A term, introduced more recently, which

describes a fully documented justification
for a proposed or existing hazardous
installation. It is sufficiently compre-
hensive to include selective quantitative
hazard analyses and emergency plans,
and is used in conjunction with the
Control of Major Accident Hazards
(COMAH) Regulations 1999.

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Probability A dimensionless number within the

range 0 1 representing:

(a) the probability of a particular

outcome from a specified event
(e.g. success or failure of an action)

(b) the probability of a particular state

or condition existing at a specified
time (e.g. equipment availability or
non-availability).

Reliability Since "probability", in a safety context,

usually implies "probability of failure or
of a failed state", this term can be
regarded as the opposite; that is, the
probability that a required system or
individual will respond predictably
upon demand at the required point in
time under defined conditions.

Frequency The number of occurrences of a

specified event over a time period of
interest (usually a year).

Failure A term that is incorporated into several

specific applications, the meanings of
which are self-explanatory, e.g.

failure mode

fail to danger fault

failsafe

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common cause failure: failure of

more than one protective device or
system attributable to the same
cause. (This expression is of
particular interest to the processing
industries. For example, a failure of
the public electricity or cooling
tower supplies can cause a
shutdown of several facilities
simultaneously.)

common mode failure: resultant

identical failure patterns in
components or systems occurring
simultaneously due to a common
cause. For example, overheating of
a series of pumps.

Criterion A standard of safety performance to

(plural: criteria) which a measured performance may be
compared.

Target Fatal Accident Rate The number of deaths recorded or

predicted within a prescribed group in a
stated environment during 108 hours of
exposure. An example of this can be
obtained from calculations based on
1000 chemical plant operators working
for 40 hours per week for 50 weeks a
year, for a working lifetime of 50 years.

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Fatal Accident Rate (F.A.R.) The number of deaths recorded or

predicted per year.

Now do the first set of Self-Assessment Questions on pages 13 to 15.

Complete these questions before moving on to the next part of the lesson.

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________________________________________________________________________________________

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
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1. Match each term with one of the brief definitions given below.

1 Hazard 2 Societal risk 3 Explosion pressure

4 Fire prevention 5 Fire protection 6 Residual risk
7 Toxicity 8 Release

A the ability of a poisonous substance to cause injury or death

B the unintentional escape of a hazardous substance or of energy from a

containment system

C a state or condition having the potential to cause a deviation from

uniform or intended behaviour which may result in damage to
property, people or the environment

D the element of risk remaining after improvements have been made

E design features, systems or equipment intended to minimise damage

from fire

F measures intended to avert the outbreak of fire in a particular location

G the pressure developed above atmospheric pressure resulting from an

explosion

H risk to a group of people exposed to a major hazard

Your answer A_____ B_____ C_____ D_____ E_____

F_____ G_____ H_____

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2. Which of the following do you think best defines the term "risk" in an
industrial safety context:

(a) the element of risk remaining after all economically acceptable

improvements have been made

(b) a condition which is likely to cause damage to property

(c) the likelihood of an undesired event occurring which can be

expressed in terms of its size and severity

(d) the likelihood of an undesired event occurring which can be

expressed in terms of probability or frequency?

3. Which of the following do you think best defines the term "loss
prevention":

(a) the total elimination of all potential hazards

(b) the assessing of how an individual or system will respond in the

event of a major incident

(c) a systematic procedure aimed at either the prevention of incidents or

the estimation and minimising of their consequences

(d) the quantitative assessment of hazards based on the notion that it is

not possible to eliminate all potential risks?

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4. Give brief definitions for the following terms:

(a) dispersion
(b) plume
(c) explosion
(d) safety audit
(e) criterion
(f) upper and lower flammability limits.

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________________________________________________________________________________________

ANSWERS TO SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

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1. A7 B8 C1 D6
E5 F4 G3 H2

2. (d)

3. (c)

4. Check your answers against the definitions given in the lesson.

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________________________________________________________________________________________

CATEGORIES OF RISK
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On page 3 we gave a brief definition of the term "risk". We will now look
more closely at the various categories of risk which could arise within an
engineering context.

There are two main categories of risk:

risks to life (site personnel and/or the general public)

risks to plant and profits.

RISKS TO LIFE

Risks to life can be sub-divided into two main groups.

1. 'Ordinary' Risks

These are common to all plants and arise principally from human activity
on or around the plant. Examples include:

falling off the structure

tripping over obstacles
impact by falling objects
contact with moving parts of equipment
physical operations such as lifting, scaffolding, flexing or carrying
out maintenance.

These risks are, of course, applicable only to plant personnel and not to
the general public.

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2. 'Process' Risks

These vary from plant to plant, the main classes of risk being:

fire or explosion due to emission of flammable material

emission of toxic or corrosive materials
discharge of hot scalding fluids
discharge of cold sub-zero fluids
blast effects or projectiles arising from equipment
rupture/fragmentation
asphyxiation risks.

Thus, process risks can arise only in the event of loss of containment of
the plant inventory and the general public as well as plant personnel can
be at risk.

RISKS TO PLANT AND PROFITS

These risks, which are concerned with damage to the plant, or with plant
unavailability for other reasons, can also be conveniently classified into two
main groups.

1. Risks due to incidents where there is also a risk to life

The main risks falling into this category are some of the "process risks"
previously mentioned, which lead either to plant unavailability in their own
right (e.g. equipment rupture, fire, explosion) or to a plant shutdown pending
an enquiry (e.g. toxic release or other dangerous incidents).

Some of the "ordinary risks" to life previously mentioned may sometimes also
call for a plant shutdown pending investigations.

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2. Risks due to incidents where there is no risk to life

The risks falling into this category are purely operational risks such as

equipment breakdown or unavailability

blockages of equipment or pipework
fouling of equipment.

Now attempt the second set of Self-Assessment Questions on page 20.

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________________________________________________________________________________________

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
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These Self-Assessment Questions cover the material on pages 17 to 19.

5. (i) If, as a result of identifying the likelihood of a particular hazard

occurring, a change to a system is decided upon, should you
immediately:

(a) record the hazard, and action taken, in the plant records for
future reference

(b) move on to search for other possible hazards

(c) re-examine the system in its changed condition for any

new problems which could thereby arise

or (d) sign-off the study as completed?

(ii) Now list the four actions above in what you consider to be a logical
order.

6. Categorize, as you see fit, the following events into the "risk table" or
matrix on page 21.

(a) falling into an excavation

(b) extinction by high winds of a flare-stack pilot flame

(c) a runaway fork-lift truck

(d) lighting a welding torch in a 'no-smoking' area

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(e) escape of refrigerant from an insulated storage vessel

(f) using scaffolding with toe-boards missing

(g) blockage of feed to an oil-fired heater due to cold climate

(h) ignition of flammable solvent by static discharge due to breakage of

earthing conductor

(i) leakage of ammonia from a high-pressure pipe joint

(j) bearing failure in an air compressor

Your Answer

'ORDINARY' RISK 'PROCESS' RISK

RISK
TO
LIFE

NO
RISK
TO LIFE

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________________________________________________________________________________________

ANSWERS TO SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

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5. (i) (c)

(ii) (c), (b), (a), (d).

6. 'ORDINARY' RISK 'PROCESS' RISK

RISK (d) (e)

TO (a) (c) (f)
LIFE (h) (i)

NO
RISK (j) (b) (g)
TO LIFE

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________________________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY
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This lesson has covered the more important aspects of safety language, a vital
step towards avoiding misinterpretations and misunderstandings which are
themselves potential sources of hazards.

You have also now been introduced to the disciplined manner in which causes
and effects of deviant occurrences need to be handled, and the scope of these
risks which prevail within industrial activities.

We are now able to consider how human awareness and response to hazard
identification may best be improved.

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